Grub Street

When we walked by Avalon on Saturday night, we saw this “important notice” (important to fans of pecsibitionism, anyway) that Hunk-O-Mania is no longer in the house. A call to Hunk-O-Mania reveals that the former Limelight is “closed for renovations,” possibly for a couple of months. The State Liquor Authority’s Website indicates the club’s liquor license expired on January 1 (although it is apparently free to sell booze under a SAPA letter while the authority considers a renewal), but we’ve been told that the closure might have more to do with a possible change in ownership. The club’s financial woes and its landlord’s desire to turn it into a retail space (perhaps with a restaurant) were well documented in a Villager article about a year ago, so this doesn’t come as a huge shock. In fact, if indeed it does get a new owner capable of restoring it to its Limelight-era glory (hey, a clubber can dream), it could be welcome news.

Elsewhere in nightlife, a few other venues have taken what might be fatal hits. First, the Post brings news that after months of delays opening up in the new Rhone space, Double Seven won’t be coming back at all, and partner Mark Barker will be joining the Mansion team’s bid to open a club in the old Crobar space. Nearby, Gin Lane, which lost its chef in December, seems to be closed by Citysearch’s account. Also nearby, a source tells Eater that PM has closed after being bought out by partner Adam Hock, also of Hawaiian Tropic Zone (we’ve heard those same rumors that the club owed serious money). And a little farther uptown, the Daily News reports, Stereo was shuttered by police during a raid no doubt prompted by the early-Thursday shooting death of a patron. No word on whether the club will reopen, but since this is its third such closing, it could face permanent closure via the city’s nuisance-abatement laws. And that just about brings us up to date.

NYPD Silences Slay-Scene Club Stereo [NYDN]
Another One Bites The Dust: Gin Lane [Imbibe/Citysearch]
The Shutter: PM Calls it A Night [Eater]
Club Carousel [NYP]